Facial Expressions

Madeline has been learning about facial expressions and feelings recently ...
and here she is practicing:

Thanksgiving in NY

We had a wonderful, tasty, relaxing Thanksgiving at Club fidotta and had a chance to spend some QT with the Ryans and Maury too. We got some great xmas things from Aunt Margaret and of course, grandma Mary gave us more than a couple of penguins for the tree! thank you!!

We sat in a ton of traffic but all in all the drive to Ny for the holiday was worth it...
now we are wondering who is coming to our place for Christmas!!

Here are a few candids of the pre-turkey crew, and uncle Dennis carving the magnificent bird. Yum the tastiest thankgiving ever. thank you!

Its beginning to look alot...

...like Christmas! We have been getting into the Christmas spirit, after our fun trip home to NY for Thanksgiving. We inherited a few adorable Christmas things and I wanted to put them all right up immediately. Madeline helped pick out our Christmas tree last night and here it is!

ergo link

Just entered a contest for a free embroidered ergo.
here's the scoop:

Win a Free Organic Embroidered Ergo Baby Carrier Hands Free System from Along for the Ride

SNOW

It began snowing this week-
flurries on monday and more today. So at school Madeline had her first contact with snow. She tried to catch it in her mittens and was over it once
she saw the toys to play with. runny nose, purple hands, frozen cold-weather tears on her cheeks- it was a blast :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=jrInaSQiwp8 (in case you can't see it here, the link will take you there)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D_CamkPL4M

brrr... but at least gas has dipped below 2 bucks this week- a miracle!

this week in rockville

Getting ready for church with our friends, the Wongs.
(we got there at 9:30 -right on time, and apparently the website was wrong so we missed half of the service... )lets keep looking for a new place!


and here's a link to a quick video: I'm having trouble embedding the link today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVmekxYqtzw

and celebrating thanksgiving at school with her teacher, Miss Ricci.

just playing

Cupcakes for madeline

Don sought out cupcakes that Madeline can eat and hit the jackpot!
We are always frustrated for her when we go to birthday parties and celebrations and there is nothing yummy for her to eat- so now she can have her heart's desire...
Sticky Fingers, in DC has vegan cakes, cupcakes, sticky buns- the works!





love the little tongue
here she is enjoying them this afternoon, on our family outing around Adam's Morgan.
(and yes- she did choose the carrot cake cupcake all by herself! thats my girl!)



mmmm

Belly pics int and ext

We realize that you have all been asking to see these and we have not been diligent in uploading them so here is a quick video showing the new pics we got 3 wks ago from the ultrasound. Of course I have gained 8 lbs since then and am measuring 3cm bigger (a huge leap in maternity counts) so he is probably like 4 ft 10 now for all we know ;)


Madeline giving big kisses to her baby brother.

practice politeness

We are focusing on Madeline's ability to speak to others politely this week. She has always been great at please and thank you but now we have added "may i have a turn" and "no thank you" (when someone wants to touch or share with her etc). She is learning to excuse herself from the table at meals and has been taking her plate and cup to the sink for a few weeks now. It is great to watch her progress. We are just encouraging her to use her words whenever she can instead of whining or grabbing. So even when she uses the less "polite" version we are thrilled.
Ie: "Daddy come here....run!"


Of course its not all work and courtesy here. we have found lots of time for fun stuff too!

Don wanted us to make sure we got a video of her adorable running with the little chicken wings. she has always run like this and we dont want you to miss it!


here she is practicing her words with daddy


and playing sleepover with Eliana and benjamin!

more halloween

we just got some more pics back from Halloween at Madeline's friday morning nursery school. Here they are!

With her whole class posing by a tree. The little guy in liederhosen is also her classmate but very independent!

With zachary, her favorite buddy in school

Playing ring around the rosy in costume with mommy and her teacher, Miss ricci.

Fall

Madeline and Tucker enjoyed a few dives into the leaf pile today.
"Volcano" they'd say and "erupt" the leaves. I cant tell if she was more excited about the leaf pile up or her big buddy Tucker showing her the ropes.
We still have some georgeous leaves on the trees but they are falling fast now.
And, while the past few days have been unusually warm t-shirt weather, we know what is here to stay is the cold days of autumn and the need to run the heater- yikes!



xoxo

Halloween 08

We had a blast celebrating with our neighbors - the whole city of rockville comes to see our block because the neighbors go crazy for halloween. no joke, busloads.
Madeline had a blast and was really taking it all in tonight. We dont know if she loved the candy giving at our door or the trick or treating on the block better.

Here are a few quick snapshots too! Yes- a recap on the dragonfly from last year, because she did not want any part of the Madeleine costume in the end..but she loved her wings this year now that she can "steer" them!




xoxo

The Best Season~

Autumn is the best. Long sleeves, crunchy leaves, natural color and family.
Carving pumpkins with Shawn and Ryan (and his friend)




Playing in the leaves with Olga


olga and uncle Mike



and the best is trying to get everyone to smile at once!


there we go;

Uncle Michael, Shawn, Uncle Dennis, Chris
Aunt Veronica, Ryan, Olga, Me

Aunt Linda's

Here are some pics from two weeks ago at Aunt Linda's in Shreveport, and the Science Museum that she took us to. Thanks Aunt Julie for sending them along!


Ava and Julie

Don enjoying science



Carl and Don enjoying Southern Maid Donuts!


Grandma Rose with her grandaughters, Ava and Madeline

Cody entertaining Madeline

Julie, Carl and Ava


Don, Madeline and Aunt Linda

countdown to announcement

Ghosted!

It is autumn. the leaves are falling, we are wearing scarves and hats and we have
pumpkins, wreaths and scarecrows all around. The best part of it all is that we got Ghosted!
A trick or treat bucket of treats were delivered stealthily to the door with a white ghost inside. We were to put him on our door, copy the instructions and play the game on two neighbors. How fun!
It is fun to live in a close-knit comminuty. We can't wait for you all to come and visit!

oh and... we are working on Don's dungeon... it is (despite the awful wood paneling
and green plush carpet, a real media room now!)

Our gifted cousin~

So, for a while now, we have known that Madeline's cousin, Jack in Tennessee is a genius but here is the proof!

he is a few months older than madeline (2 and change) and he can recite the Preamble to the Constitution,
sing the national anthem and name most of the states. He was at the city hall in his home town last month to "perform" for the mayor and then went to an 8th grade class to show them how its done bc they could not master the Preamble.

We always knew madeline's best buddy Claire, in California was a gifted child and now we know that we have to hook these two up for serious Nobel activity one day!

Here is the proof!